7 dogs in Starbucks today is too much

[Elfandwellbeing]

I turned around and walked out again, don’t get me started on dogs sniffing cups and plates of food whilst sat next to the owners.
What is the solution ?
Can’t dogs be left anymore?
AIBU to think dog separation cannot be so painful that dogs have to go everywhere!

I do wonder where a lot of Mumsnetters live, to have all these cafes and restaurants local to them that are overrun with dogs. I never see anything like this where I live!

That said, I have four dogs (so could have provided over half the dogs in this Starbucks myself 😄) but I would never do that. I’m a fan of a dog friendly place at the end of a long dog walk but it would never occur to me to pop to a Starbucks with my pack in tow. If I’m popping out for a coffee I want it to be relaxing and wrangling my dogs would be the opposite.

And so I do actually understand people like the OP not wanting to be surrounded by dogs. I’m a dog lover (clearly….) but I always work on the assumption that not everyone else is. I think there’s a time and a place for dogs to be included in what I’m doing and it’s not going for coffee or a meal.

I love dogs but I saw two smelly looking buggers with their owner having a bottomless brunch today. Poor dogs watching their owner get pissed with her cackling pals.

Well put

To clarify, no, the dogs were not enjoying a bottle brunch. Unfortunately…

I’d done the same as you, OP. Dogs near food is a pretty disgusting combo.

I wonder how people end up up knowing people who are so terrible, that dogs are better.

Where I live (Brighton) dogs are allowed in pretty much every cafe and loads of shops.

I guess it’s a business decision and they are making higher profits from including dogs than excluding them.

Setting up a dog free cafe for people who are allergic probably wouldn’t get enough business, certainly not around here. It’s normal to see dogs sat at tables next to their owners 😍

Maybe I was organising a group meal because it was part of my job, @waitingforittogetbetter ? I'm sure you can imagine lots of scenarios where people who are colleagues, or all members of the same club/organisation go out for dinner together, but don't know each other that well on a personal basis?

Some dogs are a total menace. Mostly those doodle-poo things which everyone got in 2020, were never trained, and whose unhinged owners treat them like a human. I do not want your animal ANYWHERE near me when I'm eating, thanks.

It's just total entitlement, everyone must love their animal as much as they do, put up with its smell, barking, bad behaviour because the owner wants it with them.

I went in a local cafe with 7 dogs present today, although they were all so quiet you’d never know they were there.

It’s been like that in France for decades. We just aren’t used to it.

My dog often comes to cafe and pubs with me, he's a huge part of my life and although I can leave him at home I've put a huge amount of time and effort into training him so he can come most places (that are dog friendly) with me. He's not naturally an 'easy' dog but we did a huge amount of training starting in pet shops, moving on to garden centers and sitting outside at pubs for a short period. On walks he gets plenty of down time to sniff and meet people and dogs but he knows in (pet friendly) shops he has to be focused on me and stay close to my leg and in pubs/cafes he stays on his mat tucked under the table.
Having said this, I do think pubs/cafes/shops should be stricter when it comes to asking people to leave who make no effort to train/control their dog as we see a huge number of dogs barking/weeing inside/on furniture/trying to get into my dogs space under our table and as a big dog lover I don't think that's okay - especially when people don't make any effort to stop it.

I hope you show your colleague this so they're aware of the views of who they're going to the meal with. If you don't know your colleague that well, potentially you don't know the full reason why the colleague would like the dog to be there.

Off you pop to Wetherspoons🐶🐕‍🦺🐾

I’ve never seen a dog go into an eatery and pay. Have you?

They get their mummy’s and daddy’s to pay 😍

@sollenwir you were being a twat and you got it back. You're actually being a bit weird so perhaps you should stop following me about.

Didn’t there use to be food hygiene regulations whereby animals (except service dogs) weren’t allowed in premises selling food?

Has that gone to dogs too?

I'm honestly mystified at why dog lovers don't understand that other people don't want dogs under their feet everywhere? Especially in shops and restaurants. Is it really so hard to grasp?

I'm honestly mystified at why people cannot understand it is the business owners allowing this. Dog lovers haven't made any threats or demands. We haven't boycotted Starbucks en masse.

Businesses have just realised they can make more money by allowing dogs. I find it's normally in places where people are likely to take their dog for a run out than in city centers, so it makes sense that they'd make more money. If I was taking my dog to the beach for a runabout I'd probably not be bothered that he couldn't go in pubs. I certainly wouldn't go home and come back without him but if the pub lets him in, jackpot. I'll have a drink before we leave.

I am torn as I am a massive dog lover but some breeds set my son (5) and I off with asthma, swollen eyes, rashes etc. We were having lunch at a garden centre last weekend. I had a choice of either wasting £27 of food and drink (garden centres are so expensive now!) Or potentially causing illness to both of us as a large fluffy golden retriever came and sat behind us. I live in the country, there are not many choices of cafes. I wish i wasnt allergic to some dogs and all cats. I am even more allergic to cats and our church now allows cats (in a bag) and dogs in. I have to sit the opposite end to the cat and I always carry liquid piriton for us both. I get children can be annoying and some badly behaved but I hope most people aren't allergic to my son! It sucks having allergies and it sucks not being able to have a coffee without struggling to breathe if a certain dog comes in and the owners always assume we want to have a pet when we want to try and avoid touching half of them.

That's my point. Dogs don't pay. So don't let them in. The eateries r for humans

If the cafe is advertised as dog friendly, and the human doesn’t like it. Then yes, the human should leave and find another place without dogs. It’s not hard.

What would you suggest the human to do? Go and speak to the owner/manager and ask for them to do an announcement for all customers with dogs to now leave?

Dogs don’t pay but their owners do.

If you don’t like that then start a parliament petition for eateries to ban dogs.

The french don’t bat an eyelid.
Dogs, like dc behave according to how effective their carers are.
If people are on holiday they often have no choice but to take dogs out with them.
As for hygiene unless you’re eating off the floor I don’t see how dogs make any difference.

I'm sure when I was young dogs weren't allowed in food establishments (assistance dogs were obviously). I thought this was law. Don't know when it changed but I find it really annoying because many dogs are badly behaved, noisy and smelly.

I know, it's awful! Like 20 years ago dogs were simply pets and now people treat them like children! I cringe when people actually refer to their dogs as children! And people comparing children to dogs, they are not the same. Children belong in cafes, dogs don't.

Mine would prefer to stay at home, than go to somewhere to eat with us